Convergence and Divergence in European Education and Systems: (Bedford Way Papers)

This book offers a unique picture of education and training in the EU between the early 1980s and the late 1990s. It synthesizes a wealth of research, policy documents and original data from the fifteen Member States and from the European Commission. The advent of the Single Market and of the euro have focused attention on economic integration in Europe; while discussions of globalization also emphasize common trends and economic convergence. Convergence and Divergence in European Education and Training Systems demonstrates that, while European education and training systems are responding to powerful general trends, they remain highly distinctive, with no obvious movement towards a single common pattern.

Table of Contents:
Preface 1 European Education and Training: An Overview of Contexts and Trends 2 Governance and Regulation in Education and Training Systems 3 The Acquisition of Basic Competences 4 Initial Post-Compulsory Education and Training 5 Higher Education and Lifelong Learning 6 Multiple Paths to the Learning Society Appendix

About the Author :
Andy Green is Professor of Comparative Social Science at the Institute of Education, University of London. At the time of publication, he was Professor of Education. At the time of publication, Alison Wolf was Professor of Education at the Institute of Education, University of London. At the time of publication, Tom Leney worked for the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) and also acted as an independent educational consultant based at the Institute of Education, University of London.

Review :
This book provides a fascinating insight into the changes taking place within European Union education systems. It will act as an important source of information for all those involved in the further development of these systems, whether as researchers, policy-makers, administrators or practitioners. Green, Wolf, and Leney are to be commended for shaping statistical and structural information about national education and training systems, from official reports that can be lifeless and overwhelming, into a comprehensible and persuasive narrative. Anyone who wishes to stay abreast of recent changes in European education will welcome the assistance they have provided. ...an enormously useful book. It will help those scholars with a general interest in international and comparative research, or who simply want a quick and ready guide to current issues in a particular country ... an impressively authoritative and accurate guide to an extraordinary range of policies, institutions and practices. It is therefore an ideal resource for graduate students, as well as more general readers in the field.